


Prelude to Spring

by Japo_Chan23



Category: Edge of Winter (2016)
Genre: ? - Freeform, After if, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Bonding, I guess I don't know if I want Elliot to live or not lol, Not Beta Read, Not Really Character Death, Oneshot, Post-Canon, Random & Short, Takes place immediately after, i guess, they bond over their insane father, they're trying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 03:45:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14824643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Japo_Chan23/pseuds/Japo_Chan23
Summary: “What do we do now?” Caleb asked, throwing glances towards the gas station. “Do we ask if they have a phone we can use inside? Do we call mom?” He started biting on the inside of his cheek, fidgeting somewhat.“We call mom. My phone died a long time ago, and we need to call mom right now. We don’t have to tell her what happened, okay? We just need to get out of here,” Bradley said, turning off the engine.





	Prelude to Spring

If Bradley was being completely honest with himself at this moment in time, he never wanted to see his dad again. And considering the fact that he  _ may _ have started a forest fire (and boy does he feel like absolute shit for doing that), he feels like he had to do that. Not really, but it was a big enough distraction for his dad. 

Scratching at the wheel, Bradley took a glance at Caleb. “Hey, Caleb, I’m- I’m sorry, about all of this. None of this should have happened,” he mumbled, slowly removing his hand from the wheel to rub Caleb’s arm. “We’re gonna be okay.”   


“Okay,” Caleb whispered, curling up next to the car door. 

They eventually made it to some gas station- Bradley’s pretty sure it was the one they went to before all of this happened. It wasn’t like he was just keeping track of all the gas stations he went to, but it’s whatever. 

Thank god they didn’t run into the police on the way here. As insane as it all was, he’s pretty sure both he and Caleb are in shock over the whole thing, but he’s not even sure about that. He does know that they at least aren’t right emotionally. Or something. Just something that comes with having your father wanting to keep you locked in a room in a cabin in a forest where no one would find you.

Yeah. 

“What do we do now?” Caleb asked, throwing glances towards the gas station. “Do we ask if they have a phone we can use inside? Do we call mom?” He started biting on the inside of his cheek, fidgeting somewhat.

“We call mom. My phone died a long time ago, and we need to call mom right now. We don’t have to tell her what happened, okay? We just need to get out of here,” Bradley said, turning off the engine. The parking was bad, but that didn’t matter right now. He didn’t feel safe, and he wanted to get out of this place and never come back. “Did you want to stay in the car? I can turn the engine back on,” he mumbled, about to do as he just said.

“No, no it’s fine, I’ll go in with you.”

“Alright.”

He’s pretty sure some asshole would hate to find a truck taking up like two spaces, but it’s whatever. It’s not his truck, and he can’t even legally drive. He has a reason, that reason being getting the fuck away from his mad man of a father. 

Exhaling sharply through his name, Bradley exited the vehicle, slamming the door behind him while his brother closed his a little more softer.

Rubbing his arms, he made his way into the gas station, Caleb close behind him. “Thank god for 24/7 gas stations, right?” Caleb grinned, laughing a little. Bradley smiled, nodding his head with a quiet ‘yeah’, noting that his brother was trying to lighten the mood. 

“Hey, why don’t you look around? I still have the credit card, and there’s still money on it. Go find some snacks,” Bradley said, pushing at the small of Calen’s back. Not waiting for a response, Bradley walked over to the counter, smiling up at the clerk.

Licking his lips, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, do you happen to have a phone I could use? Mine’s dead,” he explained, shoving his hands into his pockets. It felt so good to be in a store that actually had heating, and not just crowding in front of a fire. He frowned at the memory.

“Mhm. Just use my cell, kid,” the clerk said, taking their phone out of their pocket and handing it to Braley. “Just give it back when you’re done.”

“Thank you so much.” Grinning up at the clerk, Bradley stepped off to the side, grip tight.  _ Okay, okay this is fine _ . Slowly breathing in, he rocked back on the balls of his feet before punching in his mom’s number. Putting the phone up to his ear, he chewed on his bottom lip as he listened to it ring, over and over again, a very annoying melody. 

Groaning when it went straight to voicemail, he considered just hanging up until it beeped. Sighing, he massaged his forehead before throwing glances at his brother from across the room. “Uh, hey, mom, it’s me, Bradley. My phone died, and Caleb and I are kind of stuck at a gas station. I’ll text you which one, but uh, dad kind of went crazy, I guess, I don’t know. We’ll probably explain later, but can you-” he paused, his voice cracking slightly. Ducking his head, so his chin hit his chest, he lower his voice to a whisper. “Can you come pick us up? I don’t want to stay with dad anymore, and Caleb and I just want to go home,” he finished, sniffling. Rubbing his eyes, he looked back up, making eye contact with his brother. “Yeah, that’s- that’s it. If you can come here as soon as possible, that would be great. Um, yeah I’m just gonna end it now. Bye.” 

After texting his mom his location, he shuffled his feet, before he silently handed the clerk his phone back with a small thanks. 

Walking over to Caleb, he grabbed a bag of chips, and a small bag of candy before stepping next to him. “Mom didn’t pick up, but I did text her. She’s probably gonna be here soon. Until then we can just stay in the truck. Should be okay, I think, though it’ll be cold. We’ll just stay in here if we really wanted to. That sound good?” Bradley asked, bumping into his younger brother. 

“Yeah, sounds great. You think they’ll be here soon?” Caleb asked, looking at the the plethora of drinks. He tapped at one of the glass doors, considering reaching inside and grabbing one of the drinks in it, before pulling his hand back. 

“Mhm. I left a voicemail. We should be safe here. Besides, 24/7 gas station, remember?” Bradley chuckled, putting his free hand in his pocket.

“You like the idea of a 24/7 gas station way too much,” Caleb said, deciding on a coke. “Come on, let’s go check out.”

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly don't even know why I wrote this, but like, I liked the movie. It wasn't the best movie I've seen ever, and from a critic's eye, the movie was fucking terrible, but just as someone who was watching the movie? I thought it was really nice. I enjoyed it. I liked it a lot. So I wrote an after-if. I guess.
> 
> I don't know why.
> 
> Pretty sure no one is gonna read this, but like, if you did, thanks.


End file.
